An arsonist put the lives of a mother and her two daughters on the line when he set the porch of their Teesside home ablaze early today.

The blaze was sparked by a lit firework pushed through the letterbox of the house in Derby Avenue, Whinney Banks, Middlesbrough at about 3am.

The woman was awakened by the loud bang and her smoke alarms. She got her daughters out of the house shocked but unhurt.

Middlesbrough fire station Watch Manager Colin Gilchrist said: "The culprit responsible put the family in great danger which could have resulted in three fatalities." Police are probing the incident, he added.